Today the Pond, Tomorrow the World

Fake Movie Friday Vol 2: Year Long Drought

Oh wow! I made it to a year again. I think I’ll be taking a break for a little while but Fake Movie Friday will return at some point(Possibly next week if I get a suggestion at the 8th anniversary of Pig Pile). Title from Tigs of course and I think it’s pretty apt for the year.

Year Long Drought

We hear the tell tale sounds of sex and fade a couple in bed in a lavish room. The woman reaches over for something and the man asks if he could have one. She tells him she doesn’t smoke and we see her with a small notebook. She begins interviewing him saying this was fun but she really needs to finish the story. She asks him again about his meteoric rise in the literary world and asks him now that the tour is ending for his book what is he writing. He seems a bit weird in his answer and brushes it off. She then asks about the rumors that the very dark story is based on his own experiences and history. He tells her to get out of his hotel room.

We catch up with this author, Roy Haskins, later as he meets with his agent, Todd. Roy tells him he came right from the airport and hasn’t even been home yet. Todd seems overjoyed that things are going so well and asks about the next book. Roy tells him he has a couple ideas he is cooking up but refuses to tell Todd what they as he claims he doesn’t want to dilute the ideas. Roy heads to his apartment for the first time in months and finds his plants dead. He’s not surprised but as turns on the water nothing comes out. He’s confused and speaks to the super about it who says they’ll look into it claiming he is the only unit with an issue.

He checks into a hotel and starts to try and write. Nothing is coming and he heads to the bar to order a beer. The keg is tapped on each that he tries to order and he orders a mixed drink instead as the bartender tries to figure out what exactly happened. Time goes on for him with little writing being done. He meets again with Todd who hounds him about the new book. Todd tells him that there have been more complaints from the family of the girl but tells Roy not to worry.

Roy is out again at a bar and having issues with drinks he is ordering and meets a woman. She asks him all sorts of questions about the first book. A TV in the background talks about an unseasonable drought that has been plaguing the area and the death of some trees in certain areas that happen to be around his apartment and hotel. Things are just drying up. She asks him about the main female character in his book and how he was able to put her through so much pain, and how the evil boyfriend was written so perfectly believable. Roy tunes her out and leaves heading back to his hotel room.

A great deal of time goes by and Todd heads to the hotel to find Roy. It has been months and Roy’s money is drying up as well since the problem with his apartment was fixed but he stayed in the hotel claiming it wasn’t working. Todd finds Roy slender and sickly. He doesn’t look like he’s been taking care of himself, not eating or hydrating, as his skin seems impossibly dry. He seems concerned but we get the sense more so about the new book that Roy has still not told him anything about. HE brings Roy back to his apartment and tells him he needs to get his act together. Todd paid off the girls family but a new book is greatly needed, even with the advance for the film rights. He shows Roy that the water is working and leaves. Roy tries to shower but nothing comes out. He’s going crazy.

He does a phone interview with a paper about the upcoming film. They mention that it’s been a whole year since the release of the book and no word of a next project. They ask him if he’s worried about the ending of the book being so famous that the surprise of the film is ruined. The reporter details the poor girl who starved herself to be good enough for the cruel boyfriend, who is abandoned in the desert alone to die of exposure and dehydration after the guy refuses to marry her. Roy hangs up the phone.

He sits in the shower stall under the lights. He just stares at the hot light begging for water. He begins to hallucinate that he is no longer in the shower. The lights become the sun and the stall around him a desert. He lies there crying but blood comes from his eyes instead of tears. He cries out that he’s sorry. Sorry for hurting her, sorry for profiting and taking fame from it. His voice cracks from being too dry. He pleads until water begins to fall onto him. He begins to drink from the water.

Todd knocks on the apartment door looking for Roy. He takes out a key he has and goes looking around the place. He knocks on the bathroom door before entering slowly to find Roy on his stomach, drowned in an inch of water.